Try, try again. That appears to be the motto at 311 Moffett Blvd., which has been home to a succession of Asian restaurants that have come and gone. Indeed, it's an awkward address, tucked between Central Avenue and a nondescript strip mall in Mountain View, so close to Castro Street's hotbed of restaurants across the Caltrain tracks, and yet so far.
But we suspect that the Tantipongvasin family, the location's latest tenants who run Shana Thai Restaurant, just might make this place a hit. Once inside the semi-circular building, you encounter a spotlessly clean and artfully decorated dining area with stone tiled floors, as well as a big welcoming bar and large photographic prints of spices and ingredients intrinsic to Thai cooking.
As it turns out, this isn't just any Thai restaurant. Chef Chotipong Tantipongvasin takes creative liberties that defy many conventions.
The evening opened with crazy bags ($8), a Shana invention in which wonton sheets are wrapped around dollops of minced chicken, diced mint leaves and cilantro, and chopped scallions and shallots with traces of chili and lime juice. Spicy and sweet, these wraps were artfully formed into tiny mushroom shapes, deep-fried to a light crispness and arranged around the perimeter of a shallow bowl filled with sweet dipping sauce. A web of stringed beet juliennes encircled the vibrantly colorful plate.
Crab rangoon rings ($9), another delicately deep-fried wonton wrap appetizer, were fashioned into small spring onion shapes, each with a long, crunchy tail. These were stuffed with a rich duet of crab meat and cream cheese, garnished with carrot juliennes and served with a honey mustard dipping sauce that delivered a syrupy kick. Each crispy nibble burst into a rich, creamy payoff.
Papaya salad ($9) offered a refreshing transition. Served in a gleaming white boat-shaped bowl, the dish tossed young, mortar-pounded papaya slices with carrots, tomatoes, string beans, dry shrimp and crumbled roasted peanuts in a lime-chili dressing. The dish blended sweet, spicy, tart and nutty accents into a single exotic essence.
With expectations running high, we turned to the evening's entrees, which arrived individually, enabling everyone at the table to savor each new taste. While ordering, keep in mind that most main courses are available in a choice of vegetarian, chicken, pork, flank steak, prawns or combination seafood (as well as a couple select duck offerings), and are priced accordingly. We had fun fine-tuning our main ingredients.
A sweet, sumptuous sauce with a subtle marriage of chili and mint was the star of combination seafood pumpkin curry ($10). Large shrimp nestled alongside sliced squid, scallops, chunks of sole and a host of veggies, including broccoli, red pepper slices, asparagus and, of course, diced pumpkin. Take it from a diehard curry freak: This offers a great introduction.
Shana has fun naming some of its dishes, and we couldn't resist trying the railroad fried rice ($10). This squared-off mound of basmati rice contained egg, minced chicken, prawns, Chinese broccoli, onions, scallions, chili and basil. Coated in just enough olive oil to nourish each forkful without being greasy, the rice revealed an undertone of soy sauce and a remote smokiness.
Pad Thai chicken ($10) featured flat noodles stir-fried in a peanut-based sauce with sliced chicken, egg, bean sprouts and diced tofu that were covered with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts. While it proved to be the most traditional Thai dish that we sampled at Shana, it seemed slightly nuttier than others I've tried, and doubles as either a side dish or main course.
Shana batted a thousand until the vegetarian pra ram ($10) arrived. While we noted slivers of spinach and cabbage in the mix, the bowl was filled mostly with large hunks of fried tofu coated in a thick peanut sauce, which was mild rather than sweet or spicy. Steamed broccoli florets surrounded the bowl -- and that was it. Something tells me this selection works better with beef or pork.
A final word of advice: Leave room for dessert. Our fried bananas ($6) were covered by a sweet crust that was chewy rather than crisp, and were accompanied by coconut ice cream that added a cool complement to the warm banana chunks. And Shana's mango cheesecake ($9) was incredible. Served alongside a sculpted mound of whipped cream, its fluffy consistency veered closer to key lime pie than your typical dense NYC cheesecake.
Great food, attentive service, full bar -- anyone with a taste for quality should check out Shana. But in particular, those Mountain View residents who live on either side of Moffett between Central Expressway and U.S. 101 should know that a gold mine lies within walking distance.
